


a revolution is a simple thing

by IntelligentDreams



Category: Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anastasia (1997 & Broadway) References, Angst, Assassination Plot(s), But at what cost?, Character Study, Father-Son Relationship, Gleb Vaganov Has Daddy Issues, Gleb Vaganov-centric, Historical Inaccuracy, Lowercase, Pining, Song: Still/The Neva Flows (Anastasia Broadway), This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Unrequited Love, he just wants to make his godfather proud :(
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 07:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24999661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntelligentDreams/pseuds/IntelligentDreams
Summary: ...in which gleb vaganov receives an unexpected visit from his godfather, soviet premier joseph stalin, and is given a task of the utmost importance.(or, an alternate narration of "still/the neva flows")
Relationships: Anya | Anastasia Romanov & Gleb Vaganov
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	a revolution is a simple thing

**Author's Note:**

> NOTE: the concept for this oneshot came from some of my headcanons based on a roleplay i was doing on instagram, under the username @silencingrumors . i am well aware that this concept is highly inaccurate, so to those of you who enjoy cancel culture, PLEASE don't crucify me for writing this. it gave me a good chance to explore the mindset of one of musical theatre's most fascinating characters, and hell, if this gets enough positive feedback, i might just continue it as a series! hope you enjoy!

sunlight streamed in through the windows, bathing his office in a warm, golden glow. a gentle, cool breeze blew in from the door, bringing with it teasing whispers of the outside world — a world forbidden to him until he finished the task at hand.

deputy commissioner gleb vaganov was no fan of paperwork, but today 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 particular batch brought him no small amount of anger, no small amount of frustration. all he yearned for was to get outside and enjoy this rare, lovely day, but no! it was impossible!

instead of enjoying the great outdoors on this wonderful, lovely day; he was confined to his office; suffering as he struggled to contain the 𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒔. the rumors that the grand duchess anastasia nikolaevna romanova survived her family’s execution had taken his dear leningrad by storm, and gleb would not rest until he saw them eliminated. couldn’t his fellow comrades see that the new order had no room for fairy-tales?

why, gleb himself had been there, the night the romanovs were killed! he had seen the children as the soldiers closed the gates, had seen the grand duchess anastasia for the last time! surely, if one of them had escaped, he would have known....right?

gleb shook his head, the corners of his mouth curling into a small frown as he nibbled on the end cap of his pen. he was absolutely certain he would have **_known_ **if anastasia escaped on that fateful night, that he would have seen her, but still.....he found himself questioning his own judgement.

_but what if she didn’t escape that night_ 𝑡? a small, sinister part of his mind smirked, and gleb’s blood ran cold at the thought. _what if she escaped_ , _and is now living among_ ** _your_** _comrades as a_.... _as_ _a_ — _hmm, let’s see_ — **_street sweeper_**?

“shut up!” the deputy commissioner growled out loud, shoving any and all thoughts of the young woman he had met while on patrol out of his mind. sure, she had the romanov family eyes — but that wasn’t supposed to mean anything. there was no way, **_no way in hell_ **, that little anya could have anything to do with anastasia romanov. he couldn’t accept, refused to acknowledge that.

besides, as his godfather would warn him, his mind was venturing into dangerous territory, into an alluring trap to which the people of leningrad had already fallen. to acknowledge that anastasia was alive would go against everything the soviet union, and even worse, playing a part in perpetuating that rumor would absolutely count as treason.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀

gleb vaganov had to be **careful**.

**extremely** careful.

a knock at the door pulled the deputy commissioner from his thoughts, dragging him back to the reality of the present. he raised an eyebrow, frown deepening as he stood up, being sure to push in his chair.

“who is it?” gleb’s voice was sharp and stern as he spoke, for indeed, the young man was 𝒏𝒐𝒕 pleased about being disturbed. _don’t my colleagues_ **_know_ ** _not to disturb me when it’s a paperwork day_?

“pardon me for interrupting your paperwork, sir,” a female voice began, and gleb relaxed as he recognized the voice of his personal secretary. “but your godfather just called....he’s dropping by for a visit. something about ‘those pesky romanov rumors’.”

“thank you.” gleb said softly, tucking a loose strand of dark hair behind his ear. “is that all?”

“y-yes, sir.”

“excellent. dismissed.”

barely two minutes after his secretary had left him alone, gleb heard another knock at the door — and this time, he knew who had arrived. there was no need to guess, no need to wonder.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀

“come in, godfather.”

this time, his tone of voice was **_far_ **more pleasant, much more welcoming. after all, this was his beloved godfather, the man that had raised him, who had taken him in after the sudden deaths of his mother and father.

without joseph stalin, gleb vaganov would be nothing.

moments later, the man himself entered the room. a tall fellow with graying hair, deep hazel eyes, and perfectly groomed mustache, stalin bore a great resemblance to the young vaganov boy, a resemblance upon which many frequently commented. although he would reject it had he been compared to anyone else, stalin actually didn’t mind these comments — it actually helped him in his main quest, his main motive, to tap gleb as the heir of the soviet premiership.

⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀

“good afternoon, godfather.” gleb said quietly, his voice unusually soft as he bowed slightly in the man’s direction. a small smile flickered over stalin’s face, never quite reaching his eyes — a smile that lacked the usual warmth and affection of one that a parent would offer to a beloved child.

“at ease, my dear child, at ease.” stalin chuckled, waving a dismissive hand and shaking his head. “no need for formalities — this is merely a quick little visit, a brief check-in, as those damned americans would say.”

stalin’s hazel eyes danced around his godson’s office, taking in every detail of the immaculate workspace and scanning it for imperfections. finding none, he turned back to face the boy, and stepped forward, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder.

gleb flinched slightly at the touch.

the soviet premier’s expression darkened, the look on his face becoming more serious as he spoke once more. “of course, my boy, this visit isn’t entirely just a social call,” he began, “tell me.....what do you know about the rumors surrounding the survival of anastasia romanov?”

“it seems as if ‘anastasia fever’ has gripped the people of leningrad, i’m afraid. my colleagues and i try our best to quell the rumors, but....” gleb’s shoulders slumped in defeat, and he glanced up at his godfather, an apologetic look in his eyes. 

“....but you’re trying your best, son, and that’s what matters.” stalin finished for him, patting his shoulder reassuringly. he smiled slightly when he saw the vaganov boy visibly relax, clearly relieved to discover he wouldn’t face any punishment for his failure to contain the whispers of anastasia’s survival.

of course, joseph stalin normally wasn’t this.... **_lenient_ ** , this **_tolerant_ ** , of failure. had gleb vaganov been anyone else other than gleb vaganov, he most likely would have seen them fired from their position, or, even more likely, **_killed_ **. 

unfortunately, though, he **_needed_ **this young man — so in the end, it was best that the boy be kept alive.

“though.....” he trailed off, absentmindedly twirling his mustache, deep in thought. “i **_have_ **heard some rather.....interesting things lately, things i think you ought to know.”

gleb raised an eyebrow.

“a few of your colleagues told me of a young streetsweeper named anya. she was sleeping under a bridge, i believe, until she took up with that pesky sudayev boy and his.... **_friend_ **. i trust you know how to handle this situation.”

“yes sir, i do.” gleb nodded, biting his lip at the mention of anya. “as you know, anything concerning the romanovs, even the most **_preposterous_ **rumor, we take very seriously here in leningrad.”

“good.” stalin responded firmly, his hazel eyes locked onto his godson. “my sources tell me this young woman is headed to paris, most likely to visit with the dowager empress. sudayev and popov are her only chances of getting the right exit papers — they’ll be her travel companions.”

“follow her to paris. if she’s not anastasia, bring her back. you and i will make an....oh, what is that phrase?.....make an **_example_ **out of her.” 

⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀

an evil smile crept onto the soviet premier’s face as he spoke, a gleam of anticipation in his hazel eyes. gleb shivered at this sudden change in his mentor and adoptive father, momentary fear flickering across his face. it was moments like these that forced him to count his blessings, that made him very, **_very_ **glad he was still in joseph stalin’s good graces.

he remained silent for a few moments, the gears in his mind turning at a breakneck pace as he processed the soviet premier’s words. his heart ached at the thought of ever having to hurt anya, but still — duty came first. the death of a single little street sweeper was **_nothing_ ** compared to the chaos that anastasia romanov reclaiming her royal title would cause, **_nothing_ **compared to the pain brought by the death of the new order he had embraced so lovingly, that he had been assigned to protect.

“....a-and....and if she **_is_ **anastasia?” the vaganov heir’s voice was barely audible as he spoke, trembling slightly with barely disguised nerves.

“finish the job for your father like a good son. leave her floating in the sand.”

gleb nodded, trying to ignore the pang of grief in his chest at the thought of having to follow through with this order. “yes sir.”

“good boy.” stalin hummed, a hint of pride creeping into his eyes. “the whole process is really quite simple, you know...you merely point the gun, pull the trigger—“

“....and the job is done.” gleb finished, offering his godfather a slight smile. “i promise you, godpapa, it will be done. i won’t let you down, i swear.”

“that’s a good lad. who knows?” stalin shrugged. “i might finally let you have a shot at the premiership, once all is said and done....or at least a new office, with a working telephone. gorlinsky tells me you complain about that often.”

gleb blushed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “well, i....i didn’t really mean it, sir, i....” _damn gorlinsky for telling him!_

“nonsense, my boy, don’t worry.” his godfather chuckled, and he relaxed when he saw the man was back to his usual self, back to the joseph stalin that only gleb knew. the momentary glimpse of the stalin that the russian people knew had been absolutely **_terrifying_ **, and the young boy was delighted that his father figure’s “real” personality had finally returned. “i am well aware of the inefficiencies of our telephones, and don’t blame you for complaining. not at all.”

“oh, thank the lord.” gleb sighed, moving to sit back down at his desk. “is that all you wished to discuss, then?”

“indeed it is.”

⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀

godfather and godson exchanged farewells, and stalin departed, leaving gleb vaganov alone in his office. the young boy sat down at his desk, resting his head in his hands, struggling to control the storm of emotions that stalin had left in his wake.

“i saw the children, as the soldiers closed the gates.” gleb murmured, lifting his head to gaze once more out the window, where it had begun to storm. 

  
“ **_anya_ **.....“

**Author's Note:**

> don't forget to leave some kudos and a comment down below!


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